Feed-cutter



UNrrso STATES f PATENT rtree;

cHARLEskNAUi-in, on PLYMOUTH, WISCONSIN.

FEED-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,492, dated .Tune 9, 18El5.

l Application filed May 10,1884. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES KNAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plymouth, in the county of Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Cutters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speeiiication. y

This invention relates to that class of feedcutters in which, with knives cutting intermittingly, it is desirable to have the material for cutting delivered to the knives intermittently.

The object of my invention is twofold: first, in a feed-cutter to secure the forward or delivery movement of the straw or stalks to be cut intermittently at the momentwhen the knife is removed from contact therewith. Tliis I accomplish by the usual feed-rollers operated by my improved mechanism, consisting of a spur-wheel affixed to one of said rollers and worked by an intermitting worm-wheel attached to a power-shaft revolving at right angles to such rollers; second, to reduce and, as far as possible, avoid the friction heretofore met with in the use of worm-wheels, which I accomplish by putting loosely-fitting revolving sleeves about the cylindrical teeth of the spur-wheel, thereby obviating the friction heretofore experienced, caused bythe rubbing or sliding of the teeth of the spur-wheel against the sides of the channels of the worm-wheel.

Referring to the drawings herewith, Figure 1 represents a view of my mechanism attached to a feed-cutter. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the spur-wheel, showing the teeth with loosely-tting revolving sleeves. Figs 3 and 4 are views of two varieties of worm-wheels, whereby by the use of one or the other I obtain greater or less forward movement or feed of the material, as desired.

Like letters refer to the same parts in all the views.

Referring to the drawings, A isl the side and frame of a feed-cutter box. B is a wheel to which the revolving cutting-knives are affixed,-

C is rigidly affixed to one end of one of a pair of feed-rolls lcrossing said box near its front end at right angles, and between and by which feed-rolls the straw or other material to be cut is fed forward to the knives. lIhe teeth D D, upon spur-wheels C, are cylindrical, and are each provided with antifriction revolving sleeves E E, which sleeves are retained on said teeth by the loosely overturned or riveted end of said teeth or equivalent means. wheel F is supported upon and ad]- ustably affixed to axle G by a set-screw, which axle is supported by suitable bearings, H H, affixed to or set into the frame of the cutter-box, and has the wheel B centrally affixed rigidly thereto,4 by and through which wheel B the drivingpower is applied to said feeding and cutting mechanism. The said worm-wheel F is provided with spiral grooves or channels in its periphery passing partially around the wheel, adapted to receive loosely therein the spurs of the wheel C, and to cause said wheel C to be rotated by a part of a revolution while said spurs are in said grooves and as said wheel F revolves. The grooves in the worm-wheel shown in Fig. 3 are provided with such and only so much inclination or pitch as by onehalf a revolution thereof to cause the spurwheel G to perform so much of a revolution as equals the distance from one of its teeth to the next one-that is to say, such inclination that by the one-half of a revolution of said wheel F the spur-wheel C will be caused to make such apart of arevolution that each tooth thereon will at the close of each half-revolu-V tion of the worm-wheel, so far as its own position is concerned, be in the exact location that the preceding tooth was iu at the beginning of half-revolution of the worm-wheel. This inclination of said groove on wheel F has so much pitchas to carry forward said wheel O the desired distance, while said wheel F is making something less than its half-revolution, and thereafter during the remainder of the half-revolution of said wheel F the wheel C remains at rest, thereby obtaining the intermitting motion required to properly feed the straw to the intermittingly-cutting knives, said knives being so adjusted as to cut the straw at the moment when it and the spur- The worm- 4 IOO wheel C are at rest. By substituting for the wheel F shown in Fig. 3 a wheel having a greater pitch and length of inclination, like the one shown in Fig. 4, the wheel C may be carried forward a distance equal to the distance between two of its teeth-byeach halfrevolution of the worm-wheel, the said wor-111- wheel being so constructed as to receive and act upon each alternate tooth of said spurwheel as it revolves, whereby the length of th cut feed will be doubled. In the foregoing specification the description has been confined to a feed-cutter in which the wheel B is provided with two knivesafixed on opposite sides of the wheel; but my mechanism could be as well applied to a cutterqhaving only one knife, or more than two knives, suchchanges being made in the worm wheel, by way of change in the pitch and length of inclination ofthe grooves thereof, as would provide for the forward movement ofthe straw at such time as the knife is not in contact therewith, which changes would besimilarfto herein of the difference in worm-wheels,-Figs. 3 and 4, which changes Awould .readily suggest themselves to any mechanic familiar with worm-wheel mechanism. A

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new,land desire to secure by Let- A In feed-cutters, the frame A, axle G, supported and rotating `in bearings-H H, said bearings being attached to frame A, knife-carrying wheel B, rigid on axle G, and .wormwheel Fupon and vrotating with axle G, in combination with spur-wheel'C, rigid on the end of one of the feed-rolls, said spur-wheel being provided with cylindrical teeth D D, having anti-friction sleeves E' E, substantially as and `for the purpose described.

VIn testimony 4whereof I afixinysgnatureiu.

presence of .two witnesses.

GHS. KNAUER.

Witnesses:y

R. Fick, J. H. BROMLEY. 

